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Travel Arrangements –
Travel arrangements are made individually to arrive at the
specified airport location and dates noted on your individual
tour itinerary. Arrivals and departures outside of the listed
dates can be arranged but are not included in the package price
and additional fees may apply. When reserving tickets also
review our Airport Pick-up & Drop-off Schedule.
Please let us
know your itinerary as soon as your tickets are booked. For a good source on tickets you can contact
Connoisseur Consolidators 1-888-646-6522. If you call, please
let them know you are with Granfondo Cycling Tours. You
may also want to try www.aa.com American Airlines web site. You have to click on the more options
button and then select All One World Carriers button.
Passports – We are all individually
responsible for making sure we have a passport and that it is up
to date. If you need to purchase one please allow several
months. Passports are very important while in Italy and will be
used every day. It is also important to make a photo copy to keep on your bike.
Non Riding Discount: $300
Final payment:
Final payments are due 90 days
prior to the tour start date. This will include the trip amount
minus the deposit paid plus any additional items purchased or
extra nights stayed. The prices shown are fix in US dollars
however they can change in the event of extreme shifts in the
dollar value.
A
check payable to “Granfondo Cycling Tours” may be sent to:
Granfondo Cycling Tours
13753 Woodgate pl
Poway, CA 92064
Or
Visa / Master Card on line
Cancellation Policy -
In the event that you have to cancel your trip the following
rules apply to regularly scheduled tours. Private tours have
additional guidelines.
-
100% of deposit refunded within 30 days of tour reservation
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$100 administration fee 91+ days prior to tour start date
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50% refund of full payment 31 - 90 days prior to the tour start date.
Deposit is non refundable.
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0% refund 0 - 30 days prior to the tour start date
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Medical
emergencies are on a case by case bases
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Travel insurance
is always recommended
Deposit: $300 Payable now for tour reservation. Deposit
is refundable within 91 days of the tour date minus a $100
administrative fee. Deposits amounts
and policies differ for custom or specialty tours.
Travel Insurance - Travel
insurance, also known as trip insurance, is recommended for
anyone traveling in a foreign country. They are relatively low
cost and can protect against unexpected cancellations and
depending on the company can provide additional medical
coverage, property damage, theft etc. For our tours we recommend
CSA Travel Protection. When purchasing please mention that
you are with our group. Agent initials CAP and producer code
W8000182.
Itinerary – We will try to follow
our itinerary as closely as possible as it is laid out on the
itinerary. However there may be some changes due to unforeseen
circumstances or opportunities to make things better.
Tour Pace – Other than during
Granfondo events our tours are not intended to be competitive in
nature. In the Alps or dolomites we should expect to stay
together on the flats and regroup at the top of each climb. On
tours with more rolling hills, such as Tuscany, we can stay in smaller groups
depending on what is desired. If someone gets a flat and we
are already all together then we should all stop and help out.
On many of the tougher days we may split into two groups for
those that would like to go a little faster and for those that
just like to relax. In this case we will re-group within our
respective groups decided at the beginning of each day.
Training –
Our Alps and Dolomite tours are
considered difficult and do take previous training and riding experience.
Other tours such as Tuscany are more relaxed with less climbing. Please take note that in the mountains the roads
can be steep and sometimes narrow. Good bike handling skills are essential. Some of our tours travel
over very hilly terrain so it is also important that your back and knees are built up enough for the
challenge. Even the shortest routes can be steep and difficult at times depending on the tour. If you
have any questions with regards to individual training programs or tour difficulty levels please ask.
We have a coach on staff that would love to help you prepare for
your tour.
Gearing
– Adequate gearing is also a must for any Alpine tour. A triple
front gear is highly recommended for most people. At a minimum
you should have your bike set up with no less than a 39 tooth
front and 27 tooth rear. This is a standard gear and should work
with any 9 speed system. However, it is highly recommended for
most double systems to have a 39 front with a 32 rear, or
perhaps a compact crank set providing a 34 front ring along with
a 27 or 29 rear. If you need help deciding on the best gearing
for you please call.
Pre-tour maintenance: –
Prior to any tour please make sure your bike is in perfect
working order with the following.
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Bike tune-up
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New Tires
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New brake pads
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New chain
Bike Pumps – A bike frame pump and extra tubes are required equipment. There is a
van for support on many days however they may be up the road or at the bottom of the hill helping someone else. You may not want to wait that long while everyone else is sipping cokes at the bar on top of the climb.
Luggage – The best advice on luggage
is not to bring too much. There is laundry service available at many of the hotels so you do not have to
bring 15 pairs of bike clothes. What we recommend is one medium to large size duffle bag
(not a hard case type) and a regular size back pack. A 4 to 5 day supply of clothes should be plenty
along with 3 sets of riding cloths. These are usually washed by hand each day anyway. We recommend
bringing small travel packets of woolight.
Helmets – Helmets are required on
this tour and must be worn at all times while on the bike. They also need to be in good working order and
up to current helmet codes.
Additional Clothing – If you would like to purchase any additional clothing
for yourself or friends just let us know. We will provide one tour jersey
however you may like to purchase the matching bib shorts ($65) and socks ($7).
Sizes run standard - S / M / L / XL / 2XL. All sizes come in women's specific
designs.
Meals – Breakfasts and dinners are included on the trip
however you do need to bring some extra cash for lunches and
snacks. Most lunches are on the go in between various events or
during longer rides. We carry a decent supply of snacks for the
rides but if you need anything particular it would be best to
bring it along.
Beverages – Beverages other than
water are not included on the tour. This would include wine,
beer, soda etc.
Rain – Granfondo Cycling tours operate rain or shine so
make sure you bring the proper clothing. It’s especially nice to
have booties to keep the feet dry. In rainy situations the tour
may be modified to include the climbs and not some descents for
safety reasons. Leg warmers and jackets may also be needed at
some of the higher elevations.
Bicycle Transportation
– Bike transportation to another country is a fairly simple task
however certain precautions do need to be made. Most important
is to make sure your bike is packed with plenty of bubble wrap,
preferably the large cell kind. Also recommended is to purchase
some hot water pipe insulation to use to put over the bike
tubes. Just remember that anything touching your bike even
slightly can wear through the paint, even something as simple as
a water bottle. Also remember to remove any compressed air
cartridges or aerosol spray lubes and degreasers. Finally
remember to let the air out of your tires when shipping.
Train Travel with Bicycles
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Given the availability of places, bicycles may be brought on Surburban, Regional, Direct and Interregional trains, marked in the Timetable by the appropriate pictogram. A supplement of Euro 3.50 must be paid or, alternatively to the supplement ticket, a second class full price ticket having the same characteristics of the ticket in the passenger's possession.
On some Intercity, Eurocity and Euronight trains, also marked in the Timetable with an appropriate pictogram, a supplement of Euro 5.00 and Euro 12.30 (for international trains) is to be paid for such transport. The supplement is not refundable
Furthermore, on all trains free transport of bicycles are admitted in appropriate sacks, with the following limitations: in the SL (sleeping cars) and carriages with bunks they are allowed only in specifically allocated compartments; they are admitted on board of Eurostar Italia trains provided they are placed in the areas situated in halls of the carriages. If there is no further space, they may be placed elsewhere, provided they do not cause hindrance or inconvenience for other clients or personnel on board.
In any case the sacks are transported at the risk of the client. The insurance policy, foreseen for luggage situated in hallways and in bunk and sleeping car compartments, covers, in case of theft, a maximum of Euro 260.00.
This policy is outlined at
www.trenitalia.com/en/area_clienti/con_trasp/viaggio10.html#10
we suggest this police should be printed and available for
reference during travel.
For detailed train schedules go to
Trenitalia
Release Form - All tour participants are required to sign a Participant
Release form prior to your tour. These can be downloaded from our website
or we can send one via email.
Participant Release Form - Please fax to 1-310-344-0000
Shuttle Service - For those
tours starting end ending in smaller cities such as Verona it
may be more convenient and lower cost to fly in and out of
larger airports such as Venice or Milan. For this option we may have
a special pick-up point near some of the larger airports. These
options will be specified for each tour if applicable.
Pick-up &
Drop-off - When you sign up for a tour you will
be provided the starting hotel for each tour. Please budget
about 50 euro each way to get a shuttle to and from the airport
or train station. Each tour group is responsible for their
own shuttle or taxi to and from the airport or train station.
Guests each year arrive by plain, train and rental car.
Granfondo Tours has attempted to coordinate pick-ups and drop
offs for each group. However every airport or train station has
seemingly hundreds of taxis parked out front. In the past it has
seemed to be less convenient for everyone trying to coordinate
pick-ups and drop-offs for each group. Large minivan shuttles
and taxis are in large supply and transporting large bike boxes
has been no trouble at all.
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For arrivals
account for approximately 45 minutes to exit the airport
with baggage.
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For
international departures allow 2-3 hours prior to take-off.
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Budget approximately 50E each way for the airport or train
station shuttle / taxi.
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